Pulp Fiction is, without a doubt, the defining film of the nineteen nineties. As Nirvana and Pearl Jam were to music, Quentin Tarantino was to film. If you haven't seen it yet... What have you, been living under a rock for the last twenty odd years? Along with Goodfellas, this was one of the movies that redefined how people saw the American cinema.
The story... Well, the STORIES, follow an ensemble cast of characters all centered around organized crime in Los Angeles, California. We start with a pair of stickup kids, a sort of a Bonnie and Clyde couple, as they prepare to rob a diner, then we follow John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson retrieving the mysterious glowing briefcase for the boss, Marcellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames in a career defining role. From there we see Travolta take the boss's wife out to dinner, Bruce Willis rip the boss off for thousands of dollars, and Sam Jackson experience what alcoholics refer to as "a moment of clarity".
Each story is its own perfect little mini-film, but they overlap, creating a sensation of a fully realized world that the story takes place in. The stories don't just bounce off of each other, they bounce off of other genres, too. At any given time, you don't know if you're going to be watching a romantic comedy, a horror film, an action movie, a buddy comedy, a Godfather style crime film, Deliverance, or even a Three Stooges short as in The Bonnie Situation.
The film doesn't really rely on this gimmick so much as it explores it, it defines a new type of cinema therein. Tarantino points out that the film is not really about the "look at me!" feel of being placed out of order, as, if it were a novel, nobody would have batted an eyelash. Other mediums follow multiple stories all the time, but you so rarely see it in a major American film.
Tarantino's strength is in his dialog. This film really knocks it out of the park in that regard. As much as most great comedies, you'll find yourself quoting this movie for the rest of your life. In fact, not only does it easily stand alongside those Monty Python and the Holy Grail quotables, it surpasses them simply because we're all tired of hearing them by now!
To clear up some confusion, Tarantino's debut feature film was actually Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction had a much broader appeal, though. Dogs satisfied the film buff crowd, the 19-30 audience. Fiction was an indie film your mom and dad could love, a movie you could talk about with just about anyone, whether or not you can name five German directors.
It's been interesting to watch Tarantino's career progress since then. People had been wanting to name him the flavor of the month, and many of his critics were disappointed when he became flavor of the year, then of the decade, then, finally, they realized he was here to stay. He's never made the same movie twice, as you can see that this film, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds are all wildly different films.
What really defines Tarantino, more than the pop soundtracks, the clever title cards and the wicked dialog, is the sense of cool. Whatever Tarantino does next, you can bet it'll be cool.
The story... Well, the STORIES, follow an ensemble cast of characters all centered around organized crime in Los Angeles, California. We start with a pair of stickup kids, a sort of a Bonnie and Clyde couple, as they prepare to rob a diner, then we follow John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson retrieving the mysterious glowing briefcase for the boss, Marcellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames in a career defining role. From there we see Travolta take the boss's wife out to dinner, Bruce Willis rip the boss off for thousands of dollars, and Sam Jackson experience what alcoholics refer to as "a moment of clarity".
Each story is its own perfect little mini-film, but they overlap, creating a sensation of a fully realized world that the story takes place in. The stories don't just bounce off of each other, they bounce off of other genres, too. At any given time, you don't know if you're going to be watching a romantic comedy, a horror film, an action movie, a buddy comedy, a Godfather style crime film, Deliverance, or even a Three Stooges short as in The Bonnie Situation.
The film doesn't really rely on this gimmick so much as it explores it, it defines a new type of cinema therein. Tarantino points out that the film is not really about the "look at me!" feel of being placed out of order, as, if it were a novel, nobody would have batted an eyelash. Other mediums follow multiple stories all the time, but you so rarely see it in a major American film.
Tarantino's strength is in his dialog. This film really knocks it out of the park in that regard. As much as most great comedies, you'll find yourself quoting this movie for the rest of your life. In fact, not only does it easily stand alongside those Monty Python and the Holy Grail quotables, it surpasses them simply because we're all tired of hearing them by now!
To clear up some confusion, Tarantino's debut feature film was actually Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction had a much broader appeal, though. Dogs satisfied the film buff crowd, the 19-30 audience. Fiction was an indie film your mom and dad could love, a movie you could talk about with just about anyone, whether or not you can name five German directors.
It's been interesting to watch Tarantino's career progress since then. People had been wanting to name him the flavor of the month, and many of his critics were disappointed when he became flavor of the year, then of the decade, then, finally, they realized he was here to stay. He's never made the same movie twice, as you can see that this film, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds are all wildly different films.
What really defines Tarantino, more than the pop soundtracks, the clever title cards and the wicked dialog, is the sense of cool. Whatever Tarantino does next, you can bet it'll be cool.
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